Surfacing :)

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Insomnia has graced my circadian clock this morning and thus, I have time to write. 😉

It’s not your imagination; I’ve been scarce lately. Running hot and cold, in and out for a few minutes at a time, then disappearing again for days. A little Ayurveda research here and a little astrology exploration there, with a little starting-of-a-new-intense-school-quarter thrown in for good measure.

I’ve been–eeek!–more social. As in, in my offline life, even. Of course, it helps to have your best childhood friend of almost 30 years decide to move 1200 miles to your same city and live a mere 16 minutes away (I routed it) for the first time in 18 years. And in true AS-related systemizing form, I like to play Unofficial Tour Guide, because, well, I like my town and I love my friend and I’d love the two to settle in nice and cozy-like. 😉

And kittens tend to grow, too, and with that come new mad skillz, like shredding toilet paper and hopping on my partner’s shoulder like a feline parrot. And they tend to keep the same hours in terms of circadian rhythm, so how’s that for automatic compatibility. They do like to step on keyboards and make blog posts magically disappear or occlude my line-of-sight with my computer screen, though, so there’s that.

Yes I feel a little awkward posting again before I’ve had a chance to catch up on my responses and approval of comments on other posts, but what I have is the present, I guess, and I can assure everyone that I will work on those as I have time until I’m caught up. I admit my responses have been a little uneven, and there are several reasons for this…

One, my WP app is outdated and because so is my phone’s OS, it cannot be updated further so it malfunctions a lot, and I otherwise like what I have and would rather not update everything (which pooches the hardware-software compatibility). I’m stubborn that way (grin).

Two, my brain; the thing with cognitive fatigue is that my brain shuts off unexpectedly, despite my having more to get done and wanting to push it further. I can be humming along, happily hyper-focused and contentedly concentrating, and then boom!–Brick Wall. It usually happens at the office or near the end of school, either of which is particularly inconvenient and unwelcome, and my words are pretty much sapped for the day; I have trouble expressing to my partner the profound idea that I’m fixing to go home is not something I could do while walking or chewing gum (lol).

And it’s like driving at night without headlights–you never know when the brick wall is going to come up!

So I end up having to “triage” comments by length, because I more often have the brain-energy budget to respond to shorter or simpler comments, while longer or more complex ones (which I also love!) may require an appropriately-proportioned response. And of course, email and WP both display notifications with the most recent on top, so if I find myself playing catch-up (again) (lol), then some more recent comments might get responded to more quickly than earlier ones. I apologize! ❤

None of that stops me from reading other peoples’ posts, however; I click the Like button to let people know I was there and because yes, I did actually read and genuinely enjoy the post, but I may not be able to assemble a comment, even if the post conjured thoughts or feelings, which they usually do.

There are few things more frustrating or disheartening than having something to say and the desire to say it, but lacking the ability to properly execute it.

With dwindling temperatures and contracting daylight hours, my work schedule thickens, which is always good. Cooling temperatures translate to safer distance from redlining my own energy. Having lived in climates at both extremes (sub-arctic and sub-tropical), I can safely say that very little saps my energy over time more than extreme temperatures (at either end of the spectrum) that drone on and on relentlessly, with little hope of relief in sight. And summer in South Texas lasts a good five or six months.

Which means that I don’t have to worry about it again until April!

And I have a little vibrating tortie kitty pinning my arm down now, so… 😉

How about a bullet-pointed comment for your convenience:
– totally understand if you are not surfacing much but it’s lovely to see you
– I haven’t been up to much blog-wise lately, guess I’m just not that into it at the moment
– life is overwhelming just now and I have a bit of energy for reading but not writing
– good wishes, virtual hugs and reassurance that I’m just glad to know you’re out there!

Nice to hear from you! You know, after having loved and live at length with cats myself (my son is allergic, so those days are over, alas) I’ve long seen them as Sphinxish mixtures of various animals — rabbits, monkeys, pigeons, owls — and now parrots, of course! How did I miss that one? My cats loved to perch on my shoulders! ☺️

Great post, really liked this line: There are few things more frustrating or disheartening than having something to say and the desire to say it, but lacking the ability to properly execute it.

Obviously don’t like that you have to deal with it but it’s very relatable.

Also, kittens! Awh, they’re the best. One of ours has decided my fiance’s head is a fantastic thing. You can bite the hair, punch the nose, sit atop it and watch over your dominion. Kittens will be kittens!

My cats are all adults (not that that prevents them from shoulder-sitting, monitor-blocking, or similar cattish behaviors), but a couple of weeks ago a momma cat and her FIVE kittens moved into my back yard and are now trying to decide if they like the “Habitat for Felinity” (small den made of plywood, with insulation foam floor) that my twin built on the porch. The kittens are at that age when they’re just discovering their own tiger-ness; they chase each other around the yard and try to ambush sparrows.

You’ve been busy bosy, and woooow about your childhood friend moving back so close, that must have been amazing!
I’m behind on comments and such on my blog but it happens, don’t worry about it, your readers are still here and nobody’s judging (or at least they darn well shouldn’t be!) so don’t feel under too much pressure in that sense. Totally ‘get’ the cognitive fatigue, my brain is like mush too often and it really makes things incredibly difficult. Enjoy the kitty escapades, hide the good shoes you don’t want scratched 😉
Caz xxxx

I was wondering where you’d gone. I’m glad you’re okay and that your friend is moving closer to you. That’s truly excellent news. I don’t think anybody thinks badly of you for not being able to read/like/comment on everything. That in itself is as full-time a job as blogging. I can attest to that!

Hi. Don’t worry about taking long to respond because I do the same. Anyhow, thank you for enjoying my ancient Greek blog. Greece didn’t spring up on its own. They learned a lot from older cultures. Take care.

Total non sequitur here, I love the artwork you link to each of your posts. No need to reply. But I appreciate that we share the sentiment: if we *like* a post, that means we actually read it. Literalism has its place!

Thank you. I feel that too much credit is given to Greece and Rome and not the backbone. Egypt is another example. If it wasn’t for Cush, Egypt may not have existed at all. So many of us know very little or have never heard of Cush. Charles Bonnet has done years of work there. Cush known to the Egyptians as Kush was much older than Egypt. Take care.

Hello. I’ve noticed that Texas has had more climatic conditions lately which continues around the country. The south use to be a place with so much warm weather, but for the last 20 years or so, temperatures are more cold than up here in the Midwest. Unfortunately, some of us have more to deal with in life as you seem to have learned. It’s good that you find relief which is what we all need. Take care now.